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Carina Chocano

December 28, 2007

'The Orphanage'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The chain saws are set aside so the film can tap into what we find truly horrifying.
December 25, 2007

'Persepolis'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The adapted graphic novel shows Marjane Satrapi's life in, and after, Iran
November 14, 2007

'Southland Tales'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: 'Southland Tales' is a political farce, a doomsday chiller and a paranoid fantasy that heads messily toward the apocalypse.
November 2, 2007

'Bee Movie'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Jerry Seinfeld wrote and voices the lead character, but there's not much at stake. Although the jokes are funny.
Lumet's mastery shines in 'Devil'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In the latest from the 83-year-old director, things go horribly wrong, exactly as planned.
October 19, 2007

'Rendition'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The star-filled political drama has few surprises but gives everyone a chance to shine.
October 12, 2007

'Elizabeth: The Golden Age'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Elizabeth I morphs into some kind of 16th-century Michael Corleone to keep her throne.
'Sleuth'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The remake of the 1972 film benefits from an updated script by Harold Pinter and pitch-perfect performances by Michael Caine and Jude Law.
October 5, 2007

'The Heartbreak Kid'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The Farrelly Brothers' remake of Neil Simon's comedy has none of the charm of the original, and the body function jokes are the most touching parts.
'The Darjeeling Limited'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The film about three brothers in the wake of their dad's death is a pleasurable journey to nowhere, but it's worth the ride.
September 28, 2007

'Feast of Love'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Robert Benton's film about love and loss is free of catharsis and is neither funny nor sad.
September 21, 2007

'The Last Winter'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Gothic horror rises in the Arctic
'The Jane Austen Book Club'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Robin Swicord's first feature, with Maria Bello and Emily Blunt, is a clever look at modern life and love.
September 14, 2007

'Eastern Promises'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In David Cronenberg's London-set thriller, evil must be battled, often with evil.
'Blame It on Fidel'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A young girl is caught in the swirl of '70s politics in Julie Gavras' assured directorial debut, 'Blame It on Fidel.'
September 7, 2007

'The Hunting Party'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Black comedy turns preachy in a somewhat-true story of journalists who are out to get a Balkan war criminal.
'Dans Paris'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Spirit of J.D. Salinger hangs heavy in the French film about two brothers exploring love and loss ad nauseam.
August 31, 2007

'The Nines'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Reality? Or fantasy? 'The Nines' blurs the lines
'Live-in Maid'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The film gives an intimate portrait of a complex 30-year relationship and shows a side of Latin America rarely seen in the U.S.
August 24, 2007

'The Nanny Diaries'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The social bite of the popular novel fades into a generic chick flick.
August 17, 2007

'Superbad'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: 'Superbad's' teen raunch isn't what's shocking; it's the love story.
August 10, 2007

'2 Days in Paris'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Julie Delpy lingers between cultures and must constantly reset her bearings -- an intriguing place to be.
August 3, 2007

Engaging 'Bourne Ultimatum' sets a frantic pace
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Between fireballs and chases, hero-on-the-run Bourne deals with killer angst.
'Becoming Jane'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In the new movie, the author Jane Austen is over-fictionalized into one of her heroines.
'The Ten'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Vignettes are based on the biblical commandments
July 27, 2007

'The Simpsons Movie'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Unlike the TV show, the film digs into morality and meaning, giving it a safer feel.
'No Reservations'
By Carina Chocano
REVIEW: Catherine Zeta-Jones' career woman reverts to a long-ago formula in 'No Reservations.' It seems she needs a man and a kid to make her complete.
'Girl 27'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Instead of focusing on the woman who was raped at an MGM sales convention in 1937, filmmaker David Stenn takes center stage.
July 5, 2006

'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Awash with plot twists, this sequel is too much of what was a good thing.
June 23, 2006

'The Road to Guantanamo'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Michael Winterbottom's docudrama examines how three British teens were held without being charged, but fails to look into the other side of the story.
May 5, 2006

'Art School Confidential'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A new film by the makers of "Ghost World" skewers the art-school mystique.
'The Fall of Fujimori'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Looking back at Fujimori's Shakespearean saga.
'One Last Thing'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: An odd, hard-to-figure little movie.
April 28, 2006

'The Beauty Academy of Kabul'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Liz Mermin’s wonderful documentary, “The Beauty Academy of Kabul” sets out to chronicle the opening of a beauty school in Kabul,and finds a forgotten society bravely struggling to live a normal life under terrible circumstances.
'I Am a Sex Addict'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Caveh Zahedi reveals more about himself than is warranted with "I Am a Sex Addict."
'The Devil's Miner'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani’s quietly stunning documentary, “The Devil’s Miner,” takes us into a remote world where children brave incredibly dangerous circumstances to earn $4 a day.
April 21, 2006

'American Dreamz'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In “American Dreamz,” Hugh Grant portrays a preening, self-loathing “American Idol”-type host and Mandy Moore a sunny contestant with a serious dark streak.
'Drawing Restraint 9'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Commentary on rituals and traditions in "Drawing Restraint 9" is more suited for museums than movie screens.
'Somersault'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In the Australian film "Somersault," a teen must struggle with her tendency to make adults uneasy and boys cruel.
April 14, 2006

'La Mujer de Mi Hermano'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In the practical and humane "La Mujer de Mi Hermano," the family members struggle to lead an ideal life.
'The Sisters'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A pompous, overwrought and itchingly claustrophobic psychodrama...
'Kinky Boots'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Another in a long line of charming British imports, "Kinky Boots" delivers a message of tolerance and hope.
April 7, 2006

'On a Clear Day'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: If it's small and British, it must be an inspirational working-class drama.
March 31, 2006

'Basic Instinct 2'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Sharon Stone rehashes her vampy icepick routine in this glossy, boneheaded sequel.
'Game 6'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The Great American Pastime and the Great White Way collide one day in the Don DeLillo's screenplay.
'Brick'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Dark deeds embroil teens of idyllic San Clemente in Rian Johnson's assured debut, "Brick." In the lead, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is gripping.
March 17, 2006

'V for Vendetta'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In "Vendetta," from the Wachowski brothers, philosophies abound but aren't all that clear.
'She's the Man'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Amanda Bynes' goofy cross-dressing prep-schooler is impossible to dislike in this spry update of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."
March 10, 2006

'Failure to Launch'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: "Failure" identifies an interesting phenomenon, then ignores it in favor of cheap jokes.
'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW
February 24, 2006

'Tsotsi'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Crimes in "Tsotsi?" Poverty. Mischance.
'Running Scared'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Would it be tempting fate to call "Running Scared" the worst movie of the year already?
February 20, 2006

'Date Movie'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The film sputters as a spoof.
'Date Movie'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: This date sputters as a spoof.
February 17, 2006

'Winter Passing'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: "Winter Passing" examines a discordant reunion of an estranged daughter and her famous father, but not without a few potholes.
'Freedomland'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In "Freedomland," a New Jersey child is missing and racial tensions are rising.
February 10, 2006

'Tristram Shandy'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Michael Winterbottom's film within a film explores "Tristram Shandy's" meandering narrative.
'The Pink Panther'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Steve Martin brings his bag of tricks to the role of Inspector Clouseau and winds up making it his own.
'Curious George'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: "Curious George’s" long path to the screen ends in a simple, warm tale mostly true to its source.
'Cowboy del Amor'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A charming, bittersweet documentary about a self-proclaimed "cowboy cupid" who specializes in introducing American men to Mexican women.
January 27, 2006

'Bubble'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Steven Soderbergh's 'Bubble' tackles the working class from an isolated distance.
January 13, 2006

'After Innocence'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Jessica Sander's "After Innocence" documents the lives of men who were wrongly imprisoned.
'April's Shower'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW
December 28, 2005

'Match Point'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: For his cool meditation on morals, the director leaves New York and the neuroses behind.
December 23, 2005

'The New World'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Malick deftly navigates a sensual, vast "New World."
'I Am Cuba'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: "Cuba" opens a time capsule of film art.
December 21, 2005

'The White Countess'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Tragedy keeps an ex-diplomat and aristocrat from what's right in front of them.
December 12, 2005

'King Kong'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Peter Jackson creates a satisfyingly sure-handed update of a movie classic.
December 9, 2005

'Memoirs of a Geisha'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Gorgeous it may be, but "Memoirs of a Geisha" has been thoroughly Hollywoodized.
December 7, 2005

'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Disney's adaptation stays true to C.S. Lewis' series.
December 2, 2005

'Breakfast on Pluto'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In "Breakfast on Pluto," a drag queen's way of disengaging amid chaos creates a likable yet unengaging character.
'Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW
November 23, 2005

'Rent'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A commodified faux bohemia, the film elicits the same kind of numbing soul-sadness as children's beauty pageants, tiny dogs in expensive boots and Gandhi in Apple ads.
November 18, 2005

'Walk the Line'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Gracefully directed by James Mangold, the Cash biopic is less an uncharted journey than a 2 p.m. bus tour of a music industry legend.
'Pulse'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Pulse," Tokyo is a ghost city of lonely people living in tiny, cell-like apartments, so that all their possessions lie within reach, but human interactions require technology.
November 4, 2005

'Chicken Little'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Its best gags visual, it's the plot that's falling in "Chicken."
'The Passenger'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Antonioni's stark 1975 classic still fascinates.
October 28, 2005

'The Weather Man'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: At once a frank, funny character study of a not very likable character and a timely philosophical riff on the culture of mediocrity, "The Weather Man" deals in themes usually left to indies.
'Prime'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman have their moments but just miss hitting the potent premise out of the park.
October 21, 2005

'Shopgirl'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: "Shopgirl," about a love affair between a retail clerk and a millionaire, is sure to inspire debate.
'Stay'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Marc Forster's "Stay," with Ewan McGregor and Ryan Gosling, is hyper-stylized and falls apart at the end.
'Dreamer'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Low-key charm and an able cast featuring Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning help this tale of love and redemption.
October 7, 2005

'In Her Shoes'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: "Shoes" steps around mysteries of sibling bond.
'Two for the Money'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey sweat, shout and get all macho in "Two for the Money," a cheesy romp through the world of high-stakes sports gambling.
September 30, 2005

'Capote'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: "Capote" unveils the Faustian bargain the author made with fame.
'Separate Lies'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In the wake of a road accident, the good intentions of three privileged people prove purely hypothetical.
'The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Back to the '50s again, regrettably.
September 16, 2005

'Everything Is Illuminated'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Part buddy movie, part contemporary folk tale, a hit novel comes to the screen with humor and wit.
'Kamikaze Girls'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Biker chick befriends Miss Frilly in a dazzling Japanese mix of heart, humor, plot oddities and visual tricks.
September 2, 2005

'The Baxter'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A spoof of romantic comedies, "The Baxter" stars the forgettable character who loses the girl to the dashing hero.
August 26, 2005

'Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Books stimulate change in a personal film set during China's sweeping Cultural Revolution.
August 19, 2005

'The 40 Year-Old Virgin'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Steve Carell's sensitive guy is real, in a funny way.
'Valiant'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Style flies the coop in Disney's lifeless computer animated feature.
August 12, 2005

'Pretty Persuasion'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Marcos Siega's film satirizes school, show biz and more — but it doesn't do it well.
'The Great Raid'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Blood, sweat and fear in the Pacific.
'The Skeleton Key'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Suspenseful and atmospheric, the tightly plotted tale starring Kate Hudson leads to an unexpected ending.
August 5, 2005

'Broken Flowers'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Bill Murray's aging cad has trouble crossing the ironic distance.
'2046'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Director Wong Kar-Wai presents some affairs to remember.
August 3, 2005

'Junebug'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Meet the estranged-in-law in director Phil Morrison's deceptively simple, deeply resonant film.
July 29, 2005

'The Edukators'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In its activist characters, this German film sheds a clear light on the uneasy relationship between baby boomers and their children.
'The Aristocrats'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In this documentary, dozens of comedians dissect an obscene vaudeville joke until, well, it's really not all that funny anymore.
'Must Love Dogs'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Forget the dogs, viewers must love endless clichés to endure this by-the-numbers romantic comedy.
July 22, 2005

'The Bad News Bears'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The original film's delinquent heart still beats in the wild and woolly remake.
'Last Days'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Glean what you will from Gus Van Sant's latest, focusing on a Kurt Cobain-like figure.
July 15, 2005

'Wedding Crashers'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn make a charming couple in a lively comedy with sex, romance and free drinks.
'Happy Endings'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Writer-director Don Roos presents a sassy slice of life.
June 24, 2005

'Bewitched'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The suburban-set TV series takes a Hollywood detour.
'Me and You and Everyone We Know'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Optimistic, humanistic and quirky, this oddball paean to hope is about lonely people struggling to connect however they can.
June 17, 2005

'Heights'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Director Chris Terrio spends a shallow 24 hours in New York. VIDEO REVIEW
'The Perfect Man,' 'The Deal' and 'Pure'
By Carina Chocano and Kevin Thomas
CAPSULE MOVIE REVIEWS
'5x2'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: François Ozon sets up the film like a mystery about what happened to a couple's love.
June 10, 2005

'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Writer-director Robert Rodriguez sees life through 3-D glasses.
'The Honeymooners'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Bus driver Kramden goes for a joyless ride.
June 3, 2005

'Funny Ha Ha'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: This tender look at a woman's entry into adulthood, is humorous and stealthily affecting.
'Rock School'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Documentary looks at Paul Green, who teaches youngsters in Philadelphia how to be rock stars. VIDEO REVIEW
June 1, 2005

'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Based on the successful book series aimed at 'tweens, this drama tugs relentlessly at the heartstrings but has its share of charms.
May 27, 2005

'The Longest Yard'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Adam Sandler and Chris Rock star in a cleaned-up remake of a grittier, and better, film. VIDEO REVIEW
'Saving Face'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Writer-director Alice Wu puts a fresh spin on an old topic.
May 20, 2005

'Kings and Queen'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Characters blur line between selfish and selfless.
May 13, 2005

'Monster-in-Law'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: It's hard not to side with Jane Fonda's harpy, considering what she's up against.
'Modigliani'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Andy Garcia plays the Italian painter in Mick Davis' film.
'Unleashed' and 'A Hole in One'
By Carina Chocano
CAPSULE REVIEWS
May 6, 2005

'Crash'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Racists get equal opportunities to hate in this awkward drama.
'Happily Ever After'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In this French film, a husband loves his wife — and his mistress too.
'Jiminy Glick in Lalawood'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Martin Short's parody of the self-parodying celebrity interviewer is best at its looniest.
April 22, 2005

'A Lot Like Love'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet update the rom-com.
April 15, 2005

'Palindromes'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Todd Solondz spells doom in eight ways.
April 8, 2005

'Fever Pitch'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Mixing romance with baseball, the Farrellys display winning ways.
'Eros'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Renowned directors have varying levels of success in an at-times-cryptic film trio.
'Kung Fu Hustle'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: There is wit and action in this globalist entertainment from Stephen Chow. Its cartoonish violence notwithstanding, it mocks cinematic love songs to bad guys.
April 1, 2005

'Sin City'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Gross-outs and gleeful sadism dominate as this adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novels stays too true to its roots.
'Bad Guy'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: He feels slighted and vows to bring her down in a disappointing examination of class differences.
March 25, 2005

'D.E.B.S.'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: This comedy is the rare teen spoof that works, thanks to the sweet love story at its center.
'Oldboy'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: From Korea comes a dream of deadly drama.
March 23, 2005

'Melinda and Melinda'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In Woody Allen's latest film, the writer-director seems unable to see the line between the in- and out-crowds.
March 11, 2005

'The Upside of Anger'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Mike Binder's comedy drama offers seduction and humor — suburban style.
'Robots'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The animated tale has flashes of brilliance but seems assembled from cultural flotsam.
'Mail Order Wife,' 'Dot the I' and 'Off the Map'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEWS
March 4, 2005

'The Other Side of the Street' and 'Face'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEWS
'Dear Frankie'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Set in a Scottish port city, this working-class heartwarmer is infused with tender family feeling.
February 27, 2005

Face it: This is not the Olympics
By Carina Chocano
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK: No, there's no science to the Oscars. But every year, a world of fans wills it to be otherwise.
February 25, 2005

'Up and Down'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Jan Hrebejk's wry view of a group of locals and immigrants in post-Soviet Prague is buoyed by real, flawed characters and a jolly sense of the absurd.
February 18, 2005

'Constantine'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: When superpowers collide, in this case God and Satan, John Constantine comes to the rescue.
'Turtles Can Fly'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Kurdish children brave the contradictions of war-torn Iraq in this drama from Iranian Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi.
February 11, 2005

'Inside Deep Throat'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A new documentary probes the cultural shock waves set in motion by the 1972 porno classic.
'Hitch'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: This Will Smith comedy is a real charmer.
February 4, 2005

'The Wedding Date'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Here's a reminder to scratch this unrealistic comedy off the calendar.
January 21, 2005

'Dolls'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Love, fate and finality keep three couples adrift through time and space in tales told in the spirit of Japanese Bunraku puppetry.
January 14, 2005

'Elektra'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Who said supergirls just wanna have fun?
'Coach Carter'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: This true story uses a familiar playbook.
January 7, 2005

'White Noise'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: As static from the dead intrudes on a yuppie fantasy, the plot isn't well guided by voices.
December 30, 2004

Ask the Critic: Carina Chocano
MOVIES: Hollywood remakes of old and foreign films just keep on coming. Are there any that make you want to forget the original?
December 29, 2004

'The Assassination of Richard Nixon'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Dark and eerily resonant, Niels Mueller's film crawls under your skin and amps up the agitation until you want to jump out of it.
'A Love Song for Bobby Long'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A "Love Song" of books and booze.
December 22, 2004

'The Phantom of the Opera'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Spectacle meets spector in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical blockbuster.
'Meet the Fockers'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: One big, happy family? Hah!
December 17, 2004

'The Sea Inside'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Witty and sharp, the story of a quadriplegic's fight for the right to assisted suicide explores what it means to be alive.
'Beyond the Sea'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Kevin Spacey's biopic doesn't have much depth about Bobby Darin's tumultuous life.
'Lemony Snicket'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Pity those poor orphans. The film looks richly eerie, but beneath the surface there's no sense of dread.
December 10, 2004

'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Bill Murray and director Wes Anderson give permission to come aboard an adventure.
'Bad Education'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Pedro Almodóvar offers pessimistic insight into Spanish culture in his latest film. In this chronicle of misbehavior, nearly all are guilty.
November 26, 2004

'A Very Long Engagement'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: This fairy tale serves up a twisting story with imagery strange and beautiful amid the horror of WWI.
November 24, 2004

'Christmas With the Kranks'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In this Tim Allen-Jamie Lee Curtis comedy, tradition is threatened by an empty-nest suburban couple who — gasp — plan a holiday cruise.
November 19, 2004

'National Treasure'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The Bruckheimer bombast knocks this hunt for loot off course.
November 18, 2004

Ask the Critic: Carina Chocano
MOVIES: In making the jump from TV to movie critic, do you find yourself watching one or the other medium differently?
November 12, 2004

'Finding Neverland'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: One man's escape from the darkness of adulthood.
'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The movie is best when it's gleefully absurd (fountain brawl, anyone?), but Zellweger's singleton really needs to buck up.
'Sex Is Comedy'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Behind the cameras, performance anxiety besets the stage.
November 5, 2004

'Alfie'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The toxic womanizer turns cute and cuddly in a "Sex and the City"-fied remake.
'Happy Hour'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Anthony LaPaglia would be charming, except that he's a jerk.
October 29, 2004

'Enduring Love'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A terrifying accident tosses characters into a tense psychological stew.
'Saw'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: The action is plenty grisly, but its serial killer's motivations are generally too dull.
October 22, 2004

'Vera Drake'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: It's all good in the world of Mike Leigh's latest film.
'P.S.'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Laura Linney and Topher Grace have an affair to remember.
'Primer'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A time-warped indie exercise made for "the price of a used car," it's tough to follow but too compelling to quit on.
October 15, 2004

'Stage Beauty'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Claire Danes and Billy Crudup are in love in a time before "issues."
'Eulogy'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: A comedy about the reunion of a messed-up family, assembles all the right elements but can't quite put them all together.
October 8, 2004

'Around the Bend'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: Jordan Roberts' film tries to take four generations of fathers and sons on a road trip of discovery, but it sputters and fails to get where it could have.
'Rick'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: An aimless workplace satire, this comedy winds up making us sympathize with the smarmy title character.
October 6, 2004

'Taxi'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: This comedy, which stars Jimmy Fallon and wastes Queen Latifah, never finds its way.
October 1, 2004

'I [Heart] Huckabees'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: In David O. Russell's weird but poignant world, style, substance, superstores and existential detectives collide.
'Ladder 49'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: It sends subtlety up in smoke, but the homage to firefighters has strong acting.
'DIG!'
By Carina Chocano
MOVIE REVIEW: This rock doc digs deeper into battle of the bands.
Popular
Theaters

Southland theaters
-ArcLight Hollywood
-Grauman's Chinese
-The Grove
-The Bridge: Cinema de lux
-AMC Century City 15
-The Block at Orange
-The Irvine Spectrum
-Laemmle's Sunset 5
-Laemmle's Monica 4
-Nuart Theatre
-Crest Theater
-Vista Theatre

revivals, special screenings
-Egyptian Theatre
-Aero Theatre
-Bridges Theater at UCLA
-Bing Theater at LACMA
-New Beverly Cinema
-Silent Movie Theatre
-Warner Grand Theatre
-Old Town Music Hall
-Academy Screenings